Brief report on Northern Range wolf observations. Aug. 2004

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Brief report on Northern Range wolf observations

Sept. 2, 2004, note Sept. 21

Rick McIntyre gave me an update on some recent observations of Yellowstone's northern range wolves.

This is a slow time for seeing wolves, although at least some are spotted from the roads about every other day.

Wolf watchers tend to be more interested in the Druids than any other pack due to their well known history and also being the Park's most watchable pack.

During most of August most the pack was way up the Lamar River with 253M leading the pack. I got a backcountry report from some backpackers who on August 6 and 7 saw some of the Druids and 6 pups at the confluence of Mist Creek and the Lamar River. That's way back there.

Clearly, however, some of the wolves were traveling back and forth up the Lamar River and back to the Lamar Valley where they were seen near the pack's rendezvous site.

When some wolves came back they were often seen with wolf 302M, the long time fringe pack member, and his buddy who McIntrye calls "the new black wolf."

On Aug. 24-25, 302M and the "new black" were seen at the rendezvous site with 6 Druids, including 286F, 375F, and 4 pups. They were traveling together. However, within a couple days all of the Druids, including 253M were seen at the rendezvous site and 302M and his buddy were by themselves.

McIntrye says the way 253M marks and holds his tail indicates alpha rank. He also said 253M looks to be in good condition, except, of course his permanent limp.

My conclusion, which may be wrong, is that most of the Druids accept 302M and his buddy. The female wolves clearly like 302 during the winter mating season. However, when 253M is around most of the pack follows him and 302 leaves.

Everyone wonders whether there will ever be a confrontation that will settle the rank of 302 and 253,* but wolves keep surprising us, and it may well be that some multi-generation packs with pups from various sires and females do not have a classic alpha, beta, gamma hierarchy.

^*For new readers, and old ones who forgot, 253M was the Druid wolf who split and showed up in Utah, only to be captured and returned to Grand Teton National Park, from where he soon made his way northeastward, back to the Lamar Valley, and settled in as beta male to the long time alpha male 21M, now deceased.

McIntrye indicated that the Agate Creek Pack has been frequently visible from the Antelope Creek overlooks on the road up Mt. Washburn. This pack has grown in size and now has 10 adult members plus about 5 pups.

The Leopold Pack is seen only by those with scopes. They are way out on the Blacktail Deer Plateau, quite a distance from the road.

The Geode Creek Pack is sometimes seen from the road down on Hellroaring slopes and the Slough Creek Pack has not been visible from the highway or the gravel Slough Creek road for some time.

As reported earlier, various wolves are sometimes seen in the geyser basins along the Firehole River.

Update 9-21-2004. I talked with Rick McIntyre today. By appearances not much has changed with the Druids. As a whole, they haven't been seen often, although they were visible today at the rendezvous site, 8-9 wolves, so perhaps there will be some new news soon.

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